How Many Irish Fought in the American Civil War?

How Many Irish Fought in the American Civil War?

As I have often noted on this site, the American Civil War is the only conflict in the Irish experience which compares with World War One in terms of scale. But just how many Irish served during the conflict? Relatively little detailed modern research has taken place to establish this, and it is undoubtedly a topic that is in need of substantial examination. In an effort to move towards a more accurate number I have examined some of the most recent figures presented by scholars examining specific forces and arms of service, and combined these with (I hope) reasonable extrapolations for the remainder of the military. The results suggest that Irish-born numbers were substantially greater than is often assumed, and that the figures are a lot more comparable with those of World War One than we might think.

Attempting to accurately (in so far as is possible) examine the number of Irish-born men who served in the American Civil War has been a longstanding goal. I am far from the first to look at this, and indeed it is a topic that has been raised a number of times on the site. I must particularly acknowledge the efforts to highlight this issue by blogger Lisdoon Varna, who has drawn attention to the potential underestimation of Irish numbers in this post on his own blog, and suggested alternative figures. The nature of the records kept during the American Civil War means that we will never be able to go beyond estimates for the total number of Irish in service, but there is no escaping the need for a detailed and thorough examination into establishing figures for Irish involvement. This post is primarily intended to highlight a potential need to raise our estimates, and to stimulate discussion and debate. Each of the headings below explores one aspect of the issue surrounding the total numbers of Irish-born men, with each of the resultant figures being brought together at the end of the post to put forward a suggested total. It is my view that this figure is in all likelihood relatively accurate.

Irish in the Confederacy

We are fortunate that Professor David Gleeson has recently undertaken the most detailed review of the Irish in the Confederacy yet produced, which includes an attempt to accurately estimate the numbers of Irish who served the South during the war. The figure he arrives at is c. 20,000 men; although dwarfed in comparison to Irish service in the Federal forces, such a total would in fact represent the enlistment of just over 50% of those Irishmen of military age in the South, a proportion which significantly exceeds that seen in the North. (1)

Irish in the Union- The Current Figures

Given the fact that the overwhelming majority of Irish served the North during the war, it is no surprise that the key to putting forward a total figure is fundamentally a question of how many Irish served in the Union forces. The most commonly cited figure here is c. 150,000; this is the number I give in my own publication Irish in the American Civil War and it is put forward in numerous other works which address the topic. Some make clear the important distinction that this is a figure for the Union army, rather than the Union forces as a whole. Crucially however, it is often the case that the figure of 150,000 is incorrectly cited as representing the total number of Irish who fought for the North, rather than just in the army. In fact, the figure of 150,000 not only underestimates the total number of Irish who fought for the Union, it also underestimates the total number who served in the army. To understand why this is the case it is necessary to review the analysis on which this 150,000 figure is based. (2)

Investigations in the Military and Anthropological Statistics of American Soldiers

The figure of 150,000 Irish in the Union army has its origins in Benjamin Apthorp Gould’s Investigations in the Military and Anthropological Statistics of American Soldiers, published in 1869. This remarkable piece of work gathered together vast amounts of data relating to volunteer enlistment during the Civil War and presented the statistics under a range of themes. Interestingly, one of the central figures in gathering the information ultimately used in Gould’s work was Irishman T.J. O’Connell, a graduate of U.C.D. and Chief Clerk at the Sanitary Commission’s Statistical Bureau between 1863 and 1865. Gould arrived at a figure of 144,221 for the total number of Irish in the volunteer service during the American Civil War. The methodology he employed to achieve this (at least to the untrained eye) appears reasonable. What is significant is what he omitted. Gould clearly notes in the publication that his figure represents volunteers in the Union army from a selected number of states. It excluded members of the navy, members of the regular army (aside from those who had started service in volunteer units) and also the 92,000 volunteers from California, Oregon, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Washington Territory. If we accept the figure of 144,221 as a baseline, we then need to assess the potential level of Irish service among those excluded categories in order to produce a more accurate total figure for Irish participation in the war. (3)

Irish in the Union Navy

Michael Bennett has produced the best work on ordinary servicemen in the Union navy. He gives the enlistment figures in the Union navy between 1861 and 1865 as 118,044 men. As he points out, Irishmen were proportionately more numerous in the naval service when compared with the army. His statistical sample suggested that 20% of the entire Union navy were Irish-born. If we accept this, it gives us a figure of c. 23,608 Irish sailors to add to Apthorp Gould’s baseline figure. (4)

Irish Volunteers from California & the Territories

Apthorp Gould excluded these 92,000 volunteers primarily because, by and large, they did not have an active role in the major fighting theaters. However, these men did serve during the American Civil War; for example many were engaged in operations against Native American populations between 1861-65. Also a number of units from such locations had strong Irish contingents, e.g. the 3rd California Infantry. It would seem reasonable to assign a proportional figure of Irish among their ranks equal to that which Apthorp Gould found for the states he examined. His figure of 144,221 represents slightly over 7% of the total number of white volunteer soldiers he cites in his study area, namely 2,018,200. Taking 7% of the 92,000 excluded volunteers we arrive at a figure of 6,440 to be added to our total. (5)

Irish Soldiers in the Regular Army

Attempting to establish the numbers of Irish in the regular army during the American Civil War is more difficult (I would be pleased to hear from any readers who are aware of research into this area). Those recruits who may have initially served in volunteer regiments before joining the regulars are presumably accounted for in Apthorp Gould’s baseline figures. Not accounted for are those Irish who were in the regular army at the start of the war and those who enlisted directly into the regulars during the conflict. What is known is that the regular army traditionally proved extremely attractive to Irishmen. For example, when the war began at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, Irish-born soldiers outnumbered those American-born within the fort. Although it almost certainly results in an underestimate of Irish numbers, it is deemed prudent to examine figures based solely on regular army numbers prior to the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861. A total of 16,403 men were on the rolls of the regular army on 1st January 1861. It has been estimated that during the 1850s up to 60% of the regular army was made up of Irish soldiers. If, for the sake of argument, we take a figure of c. 40% Irish-born in the regulars at the start of the war, this gives us an additional figure of 6,561 men to add to our total. (6)

Irish-Americans- The Great Imponderable

Of course the one large group of ‘Irish’ that cannot be included in the total figure are those Irish-Americans not born in Ireland. This is unfortunate, as there was perhaps no war in the Irish experience where so many men not physically born in Ireland so closely identified themselves as Irish. As a result our total figure cannot include men like Peter Welsh, who’s American Civil War letters are among the most commonly cited with regard to Irish participation in the conflict (to such an extent that it is sometimes erroneously assumed he was born in Ireland); nor does it include the likes of James A. Mulligan, the Irish New Yorker who raised the 23rd Illinois ‘Irish Brigade.’ Although not everyone born into Irish-American communities regarded their Irishness as intrinsically important (Phil Sheridan would seem a case in point), there were nonetheless many thousands of men, who cannot be included in the total, who likely viewed themselves as much Irish as American.

The Irish in the American Civil War- A Revised Figure?

Where then does this leave us in terms of a total figure for Irish service in the American Civil War? A recapitulation of the figures is given in tabular format below:

Confederate

20,000

Apthorp Gould Union Volunteers

144,221

Union Navy

23,608

California & Territories Volunteers

6,440

Regular Army, April 1861

6,561

TOTAL

200,830

This suggests that the number of Irish-born men who served during the American Civil War was in excess of 200,000. Even this figure excludes some men- for example those members of militia units who served for 90 days at the beginning of the war but did not subsequently re-enlist (this would include, for example, some of the 69th New York State Militia who fought at Bull Run). Also the issue with regard to regular troops who enlisted during the conflict needs further work. This analysis is very much a preliminary estimation, designed to stimulate discussion. I am eager to hear reader’s thoughts on any and all of the proposed numbers and to hear of any other information that can be brought to bear with regard to this question.

The probability that in or around 200,000 Irish-born men (not to mention those Irish-Americans not born in Ireland) fought in the American Civil War raises interesting questions with regard to the status of the conflict’s memory in Ireland. If these figures are accurate, than the American Civil War much more closely rivals World War One as the largest conflict Irish people have experienced (in terms of numbers who served). Of course, one must remember that World War One drew on a significantly smaller relative population. This accepted, there is the potential that more Irish people from the area that now constitutes the Republic of Ireland served in the American Civil War than in World War One. For many of those counties who saw the highest levels of emigration resulting from the Famine, we can say that the American Civil War was undoubtedly the largest conflict in their people’s experience. So when we look at counties like Cork (which saw in excess of 146,000 people emigrate between 1851 and 1860), we can safely say that more Corkmen fought and more Corkmen died in the American Civil War than in any other conflict in history. Such realities make the apathy with which Ireland has treated (and continues to treat) the exploration, examination, education and remembrance of this topic all the more stark. (7)

‘…we can safely say that more Corkmen fought and more Corkmen died in the American Civil War than in any other conflict in history.’ That’s scary, especially when applied to the whole country – and I have a horrible feeling that other Irishmen have been left out of these figures!

Very sound analysis, Damian. Your readers may be interested to know that Fold3.com has digitized the compiled military service records (CMSR’s) of the California units you reference. The company, in fact, is working to digitize all CMSR’s for Civil War service — many of which identify birthplace for individual soldiers. Be sure to check any miscellaneous records that exist for each unit for birthplace information, not just the identified jacket for a soldier of interest. The records of units from Massachusetts are currently being uploaded incrementally as they are completed at the National Archives in Washington, DC. As always, Damian, your research represents an important step forward for Irish social history.

Thanks! I can heartily recommend the great work that has been done between NARA and Fold3 and suggest everyone check it out if you can. The new CMSR data is absolutely fantastic and is again highlighting just how prevalent the Irish were throughout the military. Thanks to the hard work going on to get this material online it is a treasure trove that just keeps growing 🙂

Really challenging article. I do think that the number of Irish born in places like Canada and England would be great to know. In working with Latino immigrants, a child born to Salvadoran parents in Mexico who then immigrates to the US is considered culturally Salvadoran rather than Mexican in most cases.

Many thanks. I agree with you on that. I see it regularly in the files- people born in Canada, Scotland and England, or at least married there, who are all clearly Irish and regard themselves as Irish. There is no clearer example of that then Welsh in the 28th Mass I think. There is a certain falsehood to trying to estimate and reconstruct identity based purely on birthplace, although given that we often can’t know the minds of those in the 19th century it is usually all we are left with when trying to examine these areas. This is something I am familiar with, as I wouldn’t make my own lists of Irish in the American Civil War, having been born into the Irish community in England!

Many thanks (as ever!). The admiration is certainly reciprocal, your own efforts to preserve the memory of all these Irish are outstanding. I am still looking forward to the day when I get to see more of what you have brought together ‘in the flesh’ 🙂

Excellent research, as always, Damian. With each passing week new information about Irish involvement in this conflict is being brought to light. It would be a tremendous coup if there were figures available for casualties, based on ethnicity. I contacted the National Archives in DC about this, but they have..AS YET no breakdown.

Many thanks! I think the best we will ever be able to do is estimate- perhaps based on systematic analysis of a certain number of units and extrapolating from that. As Jackie points out, many of the records are so haphazard in what they do record with regard to origin.Still, I think if we get enough researchers working on the material we would quickly be building up information that would get us consistently closer to more accurate estimates. One thing that interests me particularly is just how many Irish were in non-Irish units, as they seem to be absolutely everywhere in the pension files- particularly those who enlist for bounty in the late war period. Much work to do!

I can tell you by experience that the War Department did not keep a consolidated list of ethnic origin of Civil War soldiers. This is what makes researcher annotations on Fold3 so valuable; and what makes Damian’s research efforts so valuable to Irish social history. It is painstaking and exacting research that not many have the resolve and resources to undertake (as Damian would surely attest to!).

Several record series in RG 94 (Adjutant General) as well as RG 15 (Veteran’s Admin) at NARA may include ethnic origin, but one would need to review each individual record to gather the information. And with the unanticipated explosion of volunteers needed for the War of 1861, records and forms were not all standardized between units. Not to mention that company clerks often just filled in the information they felt like capturing, and many times just assumed information like “birthplace” instead of asking the soldier. So, you end up with conflicting birthplace info within the same file. Welcome to the 19th century!

Thanks Jackie- and your own sterling work in this regard should also be recognised! This is a constant problem. It is a terrible pity that there was no exact record keeping of place of origin. As you know well, there can even be files containing vast amount of documents, where the best location information you get is ‘Ireland’- even the immigrants themselves usually didn’t volunteer the information unless they though it was relevant. Still, this is what makes the hunt for origins all the more fun 🙂

Damian – an engrossing and valuable article. My great-great-grandfather, Michael Doherty, emigrated to Eastchester, NY, but signed on with the 11th Massachusetts because he was offered $300 to take the place of a “proper Bostonian” who chose not to fight. He was killed at Gettysburg, leaving his widow Honora and five children – he was 36. It took Honora ten years to get money from the government – I often wonder if his heritage was a factor.

Many thanks, and many thanks for the comment! That sounds like a fascinating story- do you know what part of Ireland he was from? Were they married in Ireland? It was often more difficult to secure the pension if you had been married here, as they found it hard to prove the relationship. I appreciate you sharing his story!

Damian, This is a very thoughtful and valuable piece of analysis. I will use it, with the qualifications you’ve noted. Do your numbers for Irish-born Union soldiers include draftees? Or did all Irish draftees rush to join a regiment so they could collect a signing bonus? At some stage we might try to estimate the number of Irish-American soldiers not born in Ireland because this will give a truer picture for most purposes. Also, the huge number of Scotch-Irish should be considered. Thanks for all the information on your great website. Pat MacAuley

Many thanks, glad it is of use! I have no numbers for that, but I think only about 10,000 soldiers were ever actually drafted. Many Irish would have enlisted as substitutes or for bounty when the opportunity arose though, I think this was a big draw in the late war.

When I was doing research on my relative “Pvt. William Murnane ” from cork I went to the Washington archives and was overwhelmed with the number of Irish that came here during the civil war and basically disappeared. The southern ports were blocked so all the ships went north and they were also paid more to fight with the union. Tom

How many Irishmen died (total-during and result thereof) in the American Civil War? (Counting both North and South participants.) (Why can’t I find a figure for this question…..even a rough estimate?) How many Irishmen died during the 1916 rebellion in Ireland, The Irish Civil War? Thank you. urs, Turlough Eoghan O’Ceallaigh

As so little has been done on the topic of numbers it is hard to judge, and we will never know for certain. My best estimate based on the figures I have come up with for service is c. 25-35,000 Irish-born dead (not ethnic Irish). The numbers during the revolutionary period in Ireland are much smaller, mainly as they were a different type of conflict in terms of how they were prosecuted.

Damian, Great job! This is something that I personally have always believed to be true. The main reason I have always believed this is because of influx of poor Irish coming off the boats during that time and Congress passing the conscription act of 1863 which targets them and excludes themselves and their ilk by means of financial pardon! However it seems like historical discussions like this could or would somehow take away from the slavery aspect that seems to dominate discussions of history during that time, it will never get discussed on a main stream level aside from the Irish Brigade and the Battle of Fredricksburg. My GG Grandfather was from Tipperary and fought the last year as a substitute as well as other relatives from Fermanagh.